EDITORIAL: Politicians must tell voters what they support too

By Enterprise editorial staff

Published 4:00 am, Friday, September 11, 2015

In a major rally on Capitol Hill this week, Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin made it clear to voters that they oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran. Republicans have also missed few opportunities to voice their opposition to Obamacare, winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, establishing diplomatic links with Cuba, etc.

There's nothing wrong with spirited opposition, up to a point. We have a two-party system that not only benefits from vigorous debate but needs it to function best.

But voters shouldn't be misled by politicians who are mostly known for what they are against. It's always easier to tear something down than build it up. Yet our society makes progress by what we create. Politicians who oppose something have an obligation to go beyond simply voting no.

To be sure, Democrats do this too in states like Texas that are controlled by Republicans. In this year's legislative session, state spending on education was increased by $1.5 billion. Many Democrats said that was not enough, even though education funding had also been increased in the 2013 session after cuts in 2011.

But this year they didn't say what other spending should be reduced or which taxes should be raised to provide even more money for education.

Obamacare, to cite another example, is far from perfect. But after all these years, Republicans have still not presented a clear option if it ever is repealed. Why not?

The Iran deal is coming to a vote soon in the House and Senate. It's not ideal either. But the political reality is that our European allies and Russia are barely agreeing to continue the economic sanctions on Iran. If this deal collapses, the sanctions that brought Iran to the bargaining table will quickly evaporate. That would leave Iran with no limitations on its nuclear program.

What is the Republican alternative to this?

Voters should look for hard answers like these in the campaigns for next year's elections. Candidates who can't provide them deserve opposition of their own.